Multiply is a very good way for the average Internet user to communicate and share with friends and family from within a single app. Experienced users, however, may want to look elsewhere for more advanced tools.

Yet another Web site has hitched a ride on that social-networking bandwagon. But this one puts a new spin on the obsession with six degrees of separation. Multiply uses the Web to stitch together a network of people you know and trust, without trying to expand this network to people you don't know. Instead, it gives you all sorts of online tools for easily communicating with that core group of acquaintances.

In effect, Multiply takes many common Web servicesphoto-sharing, blogging, online calendaring, and so onand rolls them into one convenient personal portal. A discussion group lets you exchange messages within your network. You can serve up blog-like online journals, and organize get-togethers via an online calendar. You can post movie reviews and recipes. You can even share digital photos. And, thanks to its architecture, it's extremely easy to involve others and create a small community. All this, and it's free.

Multiply builds your social network, much like Friendster or other sites of this type. As you set up your account, you send a message to several people you know, asking them to join. They, in turn, invite others, and so on. Then, as your network grows, you can keep track of its various members and how they're all linked, and, if they give you access, browse their personal portals.

As soon as you register, you have full access to your own personal portal, where you can begin posting pictures, journal entries, or whatever else you like. Each time you post a particular item, you can specify who's allowed to see it. You can serve it up to your entire network (including people you don't necessarily know), or you can restrict access to just the first tier of contacts (people one degree away), or you can expose it to just a few specific people of your own choosing (including people who may not use Multiply). If you share with someone close to you, the site notifies them that your item has been posted, either via e-mail or message on their Multiply portal. If you open it up to your entire network, not everyone will be personally notified.

Multiply isn't necessarily a way to interact with people you don't know. After all, there's no reason to share your vacation photos with strangers. But sometimes it makes sense to serve an item to your extended network, as in the case of "wanted" ads (think Craigslist, only among people you know and almost know). You can even expose your content to the Internet at large.

The only trouble with Multiply is that its tools are quite rudimentary. You can't, say, drag and drop a large batch of photos for uploading. Instead, you must select them one at a time.

If you're a hard-core blogger or photo sharer, you might be frustrated that Multiply's tools lack sophistication. But Multiply affords you a type of social interaction that you can't get with typical blogging or photo-sharing services.

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